Space Mission Director: Capture & Growth Lead

Defense Unicorns; Colorado Springs (CO); On-site; USD 145,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental/ Vision

Health Savings Account

Company Stock Options

Home Office Budget

Flexible time off

Job summary

Defense Unicorns is seeking mission-driven Mission Directors to lead full-lifecycle capture efforts across the Space ecosystem. In this high-impact role, you will shape and lead strategic pursuits that align Defense Unicorns’ unique strengths—secure software delivery, DevSecOps, tactical edge enablement, and cybersecurity—with emerging government needs.

You will own the acquisition of new Mission Heroes from early qualification through proposal, driving win strategies, forming key partnerships,

Qualifications

• Proven ability to win complex technical pursuits through the full capture lifecycle.
• Experience with Space Force acquisition processes (FAR-based contracts, OTAs, SBIR, IDIQ).
• Excellent communication, strategic thinking, and leadership across technical and executive audiences.
• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary teams to deliver proposals.
• Familiarity with software factory environments, DevSecOps, cybersecurity, or edge deployments.
• Deep cyber operational experience.

Responsibilities

• Drive new Mission Hero acquisition across the Space ecosystem, ensuring alignment with Defense Unicorn’s strategic growth objectives and solution capabilities.
• Develop and execute capture plans, win strategies, and competitive positioning to secure new business.
• Engage early with government stakeholders, primes, and ecosystem partners to shape opportunities ahead of solicitation.
• Understand customer pain points, acquisition timelines, and funding paths across multiple branches of the DoD.
• Identify and lead teaming arrangements that enhance technical capabilities, socio-economic positioning, or incumbent advantage.
• Translate technical capabilities—such as the Unicorn Delivery Service (UDS), cATO acceleration, and edge deployments—into persuasive win themes.
• Support RFI/RFP responses with market intelligence, SWOT analysis, and pricing strategy input.
• Prepare regular reports on business development activities, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and analyze the effectiveness of various strategies. Use data-driven insights to refine approaches and achieve better results.
• Represent the company at industry and government events to raise visibility and gather market intelligence.

Skills

Capture lifecycle

Space Force acquisition

Strategic leadership

Proposal coordination

DevSecOps familiarity

Cyber operations

Job description

Defense Unicorns is seeking mission-driven Mission Directors to lead full-lifecycle capture efforts across the Space ecosystem. In this high-impact role, you will shape and lead strategic pursuits that align Defense Unicorns’ unique strengths—secure software delivery, DevSecOps, tactical edge enablement, and cybersecurity—with emerging government needs.

You will own the acquisition of new Mission Heroes from early qualification through proposal, driving win strategies, forming key partnerships,